Chants and melodies filled the air in a small village in Subukia, Nakuru County, as family members, friends and neighbours gathered to welcome Peter Mwangi Maina back home after two decades of absence.
Maina’s return was described by many as nothing short of a miracle. Twenty years ago, he walked out on his wife and children, making good on a chilling promise he had repeatedly made—that he would leave and only return after 20 years.
A Painful Valentine’s Day Exit
Speaking to Inooro TV, Maina’s wife, Miriam Mukami, recalled the pain of the day her husband left. According to her, Maina packed his clothes and disappeared on February 14, 2006, leaving her three months pregnant and with two young children to raise.
“I came back home on Valentine’s Day in 2006 and found him gone with his clothes. It was a very painful moment. I was three months pregnant, and I became very ill,” Mukami said.
From that day, Valentine’s Day became a source of anguish for her, a reminder of the abandonment she endured.
“But I had to step up and raise the children. When he left, my husband only left two bob on the table. I became both the mother and the father of this family. I was so stressed,” she added.
Mukami said she never understood why her husband chose to leave, insisting that they had a good marriage and no serious domestic conflicts that could explain his decision.
A Promise Kept After Two Decades
She, however, remembered that Maina had often threatened to leave and return after 20 years—a promise that, incredibly, came to pass.
In the 20th year after his disappearance, Maina was traced to Kimende in Lari, where he had lived for more than a decade, working as a casual labourer.
His decision to return home was influenced by a televised appeal. While watching Inooro TV, Maina saw his family searching for him and pleading for his return. Moved by their cries, he finally decided to go back home.
His Reason Shocks Many
Maina’s explanation for abandoning his family stunned many Kenyans. He blamed his wife, accusing her of disrespect and involving their landlord in their marital disagreements.
He said the final straw came on the eve of Valentine’s Day in 2006, when he returned home from work to find that his wife had not warmed his bathing water as he had instructed.
“When I left for work that morning, I told my wife to warm my water for bathing. When I came back in the evening, she had not done so and just shrugged me off. She was busy talking to her friends. I felt deeply disrespected,” Maina narrated.
He said the incident made him reflect on what he described as repeated madharau (disrespect) in the marriage.
“I went somewhere to cry. Later, I came back, packed my clothes in a paper bag, hid them under the bed and decided to leave the following day,” he said.
Emotional Reunion and a New Beginning
On a bright January day, Maina finally travelled back to Subukia to reunite with his family. His firstborn daughter, who had tirelessly searched for him over the years, broke down in tears as she welcomed him home.
The homecoming turned into a celebration, with family and neighbours singing, dancing and embracing, as the family chose forgiveness and reconciliation over resentment.
“I am so happy to be here. I am grateful to my wife, who raised the children and made them who they are today. They are all grown now, and I am glad,” an emotional Maina said.
As the village celebrated his return, the family resolved to let bygones be bygones and start a new chapter, turning a painful past into a story of reunion, forgiveness and hope.
